Room air deodorizer

ABSTRACT

A device for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorizing material includes a substantially hollow housing having an external air deflector at one end and an internal air deflector at the other end. At least two air carrying conduits extend outwardly from the outer surface of the housing. Each conduit has an air passageway having an outer end spaced from the outer surface of the housing. The passageway extends from its outer end inwardly toward the internal air deflector in a straight line to the interior of the housing. An air outlet is provided on the housing to permit deodorized air to leave the housing.

United States Patent [191 Bailey [451 Jul 24,1973

1 1 ROOM AIR DEODORIZER [75] Inventor: James Rushton Bailey, AltamonteFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 167,644 5/1956 Australia 261/30 PrimaryExaminer-Frank W. Lutter Assistant Examiner-William Cuchlinski, Jr.

Att0mey-Finnegan, Henderson & Farabow 57] ABSTRACT A device forcontacting odoriferous air with a deodorizing material includes asubstantially hollow housing having an external air deflector at one endand an internal air deflector at the other end. At least two aircarrying conduits extend outwardly from the outer surface of thehousing. Each conduit has an air passageway having an outer end spacedfrom the outer surface of the housing. The passageway extends from itsouter end inwardly toward the internal air deflector in a straight lineto the interior of the housing. An air outlet is provided on the housingto permit deodorized air to leave the housing.

20 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENIEL 3.747.902

sum 1 or 4 FIG. 4

MW m'mn JAMES RUSHTON BAILEY BY filze alg 170002415012 6:?01/0620 ATTORN EYS PAIENIED 3.747. 902

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mv m'ron JAMES RUSHTON BAILEY 370700, fnoaspizgayimbw I PATENIELJULMMSSHEET & [1F 4 mv ENTOR JAMES RUSHTON BAIL ATTOIIN EYS ROOM AIRDEODORIZER This invention relates to a device for bringing gaseousmaterial into surface contact with a solid or liquid, and moreparticularly to a device for bringing odoriferous air into surfacecontact with a solid or liquid deodorant.

Many office buildings and apartment houses are equipped with central airconditioning and heating systems which control the flow of airthroughout the building. Air outlets from these systems are not,however, placed in every room of the building or house. The air in roomswithout air outlets from central systems is not subject to a greatamount of air circulation and forms pockets of stagnant air. Inparticular, internal bathrooms, powder rooms, and kitchens in houses,apartments, motels, hospitals, and the like, often do not have an airoutlet for circulating air from the central air conditiong and heatingsystem and are known as closed air rooms.

The air in rooms without air outlets often becomes stale, musty, orodoriferous, and it is frequently necessary to provide an alternatesystem for circulating the air in these rooms. In the past, a centralair duct extending throughout the house or apartment and having outletsin rooms that are not connected to the central system has sometimes beenused to circulate the air in these rooms. An area of low pressure iscreated in the central duct which results in the pulling or drawing ofair from these, rooms into the central duct. In turn, fresh air ispulled into these rooms from adjoining rooms which are connected to thecentral system. The use of a central duct, however, is quite costly andis inefficient in providing fresh air to closed air rooms since the drawcreated in the central duct is usually not great enough to effect alarge circulation.

Fans located in one of the walls of a closed air room or elsewhere inthe room have also been used to circulate the air in these rooms. Thesefans, however, do not treat the air in the room to remove odor or bringin fresh air free of odor, but merely circulate the odoriferous air. v i

In the past, deodorizing compositions have been used to clear the air ofobjectionable odors. These compositions have been placed in aerosolsprays, deodorizing sticks, liquid containers and various other deviceswhich enable odoriferous air to come into contact with the deodorizingcompositions. These devices, however, have various drawbacks. Forexample, aerosol sprays are intermittently operated and thus do notcontinuously contact the deodorant with the air. Deodorant stickseffectively contact a small portion only' of the air to be treated.Prior liquid deodorant holders capable of effectively treating largevolumes of air have occupied relatively large areas of space.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a new andimproved device for holding a deodorizing liquid or solid material whichenables odoriferous air to come in contact with deodorant.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device that is easyto refill, reliable, safe, and which can be repeatedly used over a longperiod of time.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improveddeodorizing system that is capable of bringing large quantities of airinto contact with a deodorant.

Additional objects and advantages of this invention will be set forth inpart in the description which follows and in part will be obvious fromthat description or may be learned by the practice of the invention. Theobjects and advantages are realized and attained by means of theinstrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

To achieve its objects and in accordance withits purpose, thisinventionprovides a device for contacting odoriferous air with a liquidor solid deodorant material. As embodied and broadly described, thisdevice comprises a substantially hollow housing having an external airdeflector at one end and an internal air deflector at the other end; atleast two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, the passagewayextending from the outer end inwardly toward the internal air deflectorin a straight through path to the hollow interior of the housing; and anair outlet on the housing.

Preferably, the housing includes a cylindrical sleeve having a sleevewall and the internal air deflector comprises a removable closure whichsealingly engages the inner surface of the sleeve wall.

Additionally, it is preferred that each air passageway has an inneropening in the sleeve wall to permit air to enter the interior of thesleeve, and the removable closure has a hollow stem which sealinglyengages the inner surface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the airoutlet and the inner opening of each air passageway; the stem beingmovable between an inoperative position where the stem wall preventscommunication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the airpassageway and air outlet, and an operative position where the stem wallopening permits communication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and(b) the air passageways and air outlet.

It is also preferred that the outer surface of the external airdeflector is in the form of a cone and that the external'air deflectorhave an internal recess which communicates with the hollow of thesleeve. It is further preferred that the air outlet comprisestransversely aligned openings and that the air conduits are transverselyaligned.

In accordance with the invention the device is mounted on a supportwithin an enclosure having a front perforated wall, and a means fordirecting air past the external air deflector toward the air carryingconduits'is mounted within the enclosure on another support.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory but arenot restrictive of the invention.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of theinvention and together with the description serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a room air deodorizer device made inaccordance with the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 1looking from the cone shaped end of the device toward its opposite end.

FIG. 3 is a right side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section of the device shown in FIG. 3 taken alongline 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of an enclosure supporting a device madein accordance with the teachings of this invention and having a fan fordrawing air past the device.

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of another embodiment of an enclosure forsupporting a device made in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a device made inaccordance with the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a right side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of an alternate embodiment of thisinvention having three air carrying conduits.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the device of thisinvention showing air outlet openings adjacent the external airdeflector.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view in section of another embodiment of thedevice of this invention and showing a stem wall opening in the stem ofan internal air deflector.

FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view of the device of FIG. 12 andshowing the internal air deflector in an operative position.

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of the device of FIG. 12 andshowing the internal air deflector in an inoperative position.

In accordance with this invention, the device for contacting odoriferousair with a deodorant includes a substantially hollowhousing having aninternal air deflector at one end and an external air deflector at theother end. As here embodied, and as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, thehousing includes an elongated cylindrical sleeve, generally 20, having ahollow interior 22 defined by a cylindrical sleeve wall 24. Sleeve wall24 has an inner surface 26 and an outer surface 28. The housing,including the sleeve wall, is made of a suitable material such asplastic, and is preferably made of a clear or translucent plastic whichenables light to be transmitted so that the level of deodorant in thehousing can be readily determined. Plastic materials suitable for use inthe present invention include polymeric materials such as, for example,polyethylene, polystyrene and the like.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, an internal air deflector, generally 30,in the form of a removable closure, is positioned within an open firstend 32 of sleeve 20. Internal air deflector 30 has a cylindrical stem 34which engages inner surface 26 of sleeve wall 24, and an outercylindrical collar 36 which has a diameter substantially equal to theouter diameter of sleeve 20. A shoulder 38 connects the outer surface ofcollar 36 with the outer surface of stem 34. Internal air deflector 30is dimensioned so that when it is inserted within open end 32 of sleeveits stem 34 sealingly engages inner surface 26 of sleeve wall 24 whileshoulder 38 abuts against the end of the sleeve wall to prevent anyliquid material that may be within the interior of the sleeve fromleaking out through that end. Stem 34 has a flat end face 40 that facesthe interior of sleeve 20 and deflects air entering the sleeve from itsopen end 32 to its opposite second end 42.

Second end 42 of sleeve 20 is provided with an external air deflector 44in the form of a substantially solid cone having its apex 46 as theoutermost part of the device. This end of the device is the end pastwhich the oderiferous air initially flows, and thus must direct the airtoward the air conduits, generally 56 and 58, described in greaterdetail hereafter, to permit air to enter the interior of sleeve 20. Ithas been found that use of an external air deflector having an outersurface in the form of a cone is important in permitting the flowing airto be directed toward air conduits 56 and 58. External air deflectorshaving other outer shapes are not as effective in directing air towardair conduits, and, in fact, can direct substantial portions of air to betreated away, from the air conduits.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the interior of external air deflector 44 isprovided with a recess 50 which is connected to hollow interior 22 ofsleeve 20. Recess 50 is comprised of a generally rectangular openingwhich communicates with hollow interior 22 of sleeve 20 at one end andwhich terminates in a cone shaped opening at its other end. Recess 50increases the amount of deodorant that can be held within the interiorof the device and thus external air deflector 44 is preferably providedwith such a recess. Though it is preferred to provide a recess inexternal air deflector 44, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that the recess could be eliminated without departing from the scopeof the invention. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, an externalair-deflector 52 is entirely solid.

In an alternate embodiment of the external air deflector, and as shownin FIG. 11, the outer surface of the deflector is in the form of atruncated cone 53. It has been found that use of a truncated cone shapedoes not substantially interfere with the flow of air toward airconduits 56 and 58 and it is sometimes desirable to use thisconfiguration, although best results are usually achieved with a conethat is not truncated. In a further embodiment of the external airdeflector, as shown in FIG. 8, an external notch 54 is provided in theouter surface of the cone.

In accordance with this invention, at least two projecting air carryingconduits extend outwardly from the outer surface of the housing. Eachconduit has an air passageway having an outer end spaced from the outersurface of the housing, with the passageway extending from its outer endinwardly toward the internal air deflector in a straight-through path tothe interior of the housing.

As here embodied, and as shown in FIG. 1, a first air conduit 56 and asecond air conduit 58 are transversely aligned adjacent internal airdeflector 30 and extend radially outward from outer surface 28 of sleevewall 24. Conduits 56 and 58 each have a flat front wall 60 whose outersurface lies in a plane which extends substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the housing. Front wall 60 is bounded by twoopposed side walls 62 and 64 whose outer surface lies in planes whichare parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing, and a top wall 66which extends downwardly from the top edge of front wall 60 to outersurface 28 of sleeve wall 24 adjacent internal air deflector 30.

Each air conduit 56 and,58 is provided with an air passageway, generally68, which extends from front wall 60 inwardly toward internal airdeflector 30 in a straight-through path to the hollow interior of sleeve20. Air passageway 68 has an outer open end 70 adjacent the top of frontwall 60 and terminates in an inner opening 71 in sleeve wall 24 whichpermits air to enter the interior of sleeve 20.

Air passageway 68 is cylindrical in cross-sectional shape, but as shownin FIG. 2, its ends are elliptical because they lie in planes that aretransverse to the longitudinal axis of the passageway. Thestraight-through path of air passageway 68 is an important feature ofthis invention since it has been found that paths other thanstraight-through paths, such as paths which have bends therein, cause asubstantial pressure drop to occur in the passageway, resulting in adecrease in the ability of the device to accommodate high air flowrates. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, air passageway 68 forms an acute anglewith the longitudinal axis of the housing. The structure of the presentdevice with air passageways that form acute angles with the longitudinalaxis of the device causes a cyclonic air flow within the interior of thedevice so that the air comes into efficient surface contact with thedeodorant material.

As best seen in FIGS. l-3, air conduits 56 and 58 are positionedapproximately 90 from each other about the outer periphery of sleeve 20.It is preferred that when using only two air conduits that they bepositioned at least 90 apart from each other to enable differentsegments of the air flowing past the device to be directed into itsinterior. The conduits can, however, as illustrated in FIG. 7, bediametrically opposed to each otherabout the outer periphery of sleeve20. Conduits that are spaced apart 180 are desirably used when the airto be treated is divided into two distinct air streams that pass opposedportions of the device.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the device can beprovided with more than two conduits, such as the device illustrated inFIG. having three air conduits 72 that are an equal distance from eachother. The use of more than two air conduits insures that the airentering the device is a representative sampling of the air circulatingin the room. The exact number of air conduits and their relativeposition can, of course, be varied to meet the requirements ofparticular air circulation systems, but at leasttwo air conduits areneeded to bring about a representative sampling of the air circulatingin the room.

' In accordance with the invention, an air outlet is provided on thehousing. As here embodied, and as shown in FIG. 1, the air outletcomprises two spaced circular openings 74 and 76 located in sleeve wall24 between air conduits 56 and 58 adjacent their front wall 60. Openings74 and 76 permit air that has entered the interior of the housing andcontacted the deodorant within the housing to leave the device free fromobjectionable odors. Openings 74 and 76 face toward the internal airdeflecting end of the device so that the leaving air is directed towardthat end of the device. The number of air openings and their exactlocation on sleeve wall 24 can readily be determined by those of orisfilled with deodorant through open end 32 of sleeve 20, internal airdeflector 30 is placed within the open end to provide a sealed hollowinterior. The device is then supported in any suitable structure andmeans are provided for directing air pass external air deflector 44toward air conduits 56 and 58. As the air reaches air conduits 56 and 58it enters the interior of the device through air passageways 68 andcomes into surface contact with the deodorant contained within thedevice.

It is preferred to support the device of the present invention in astructure which hides it from view. A suitable structure for supportingthe device is shown in FIG. 5 and comprises a substantially rectangularenclosure generally which has a perforated front wall, generally 82,which directly communicates with the air in the closed air room. Frontwall 82 has a bottom screened section 84 for admitting air to enclosure80 and a top louver section 86 for permitting air to leave theenclosure. A support bar 88 extends toward the middle of enclosure 80from front wall 82 to back wall 90 and a brace 92 is angularly connectedto support bar 88 and to the back wall. Brace 92 receives and supports afan 96.

' As shown in FIG. 5, a second brace 94 is positioned above support bar88. A device 93, made in accordance with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 issupported in a substantially vertical direction in this brace. Fan 96draws air from the closed air room into enclosure 80 through bottomscreened section 84 and past external air deflector 44. As the air flowspast external air deflector '44, it is directed to air conduits 56 and58 where it enters air passageways 68. Air passageways 68 direct airtraveling therein toward and into contact with end face 40 of internalair deflector 30 which in turn deflects the air toward the other end ofthe device and into contact with the deodorant. Odoriferous air iscontinuously brought into the device and drives air which has beentreated with the deodorant out through air outlet openings 74 and 76 topermit the treated air to re-enter the closed air room.

The enclosure for the device of the present invention can be a portableunit or can be mounted on a wall or ceiling. Also, the enclosure cancomprise a recess in a wall or ceiling and if desired, a perforatedscreen can be used to close the opening to the recess. Deodorizingsystems using the device of this invention can be used in a varietyofplaces such as submarines, automobiles, trains, bathrooms, kitchens andany other place where stale, musty, or offensively odoriferous air ispresent. The exact size of the device of the present invention and thesize of the fan to pull the offensive air into the device will of coursedepend on the amount of air to be treated. For example, in rooms ofapproximately 80 to 225 square feet, a fan which will cause air to enterthe device at a rate of 65 cubic feet per minute can be used toprovidean efficient deodorizing system.

In an alternate embodiment of the internal air deflector, and as bestseen in FIGS. 12 to 14, an internal air deflector, generally 98, has acylindrical stem 100 which sealingly engages inner surface 26 of sleevewall 24 and a collar, generally 102. Stem 98 is hollow and has anannular stem wall 104 which extends past air outlet openings 74 and 76,and past the inner openings 71 in sleeve wall 24 which permits air toenter the interior of sleeve 20. Stem wall 104 has a stem wall opening106 which, as best seen in FIG. 13, extends about a portion of thecircumference of the stem wall slightly greater than the circumferentialdistance between the inner openings 71 in air passageways 68 and thusgreater than the distance between air outlet openings 74 and 76. In theaxial direction, stem wall opening 106 begins immediately before theinner openings 71 of air passageways 68 and extends beyond air outletopenings 74 and 76.

Collar 102, as best seen in FIG. 12, has a cylindrical hub which axiallyextends into the interior of sleeve 20 from an inner flat end face ofthe collar. Hub 108 has an axial extending bore 1 at its center and awick 112 made of a suitable absorbent material has one end firmly heldwithin the bore. The outer cylindrical surface of collar 102 is serratedor notched to enable a user to firmly grip the collar so that he canremove the collar or turn it in either direction when it is positionedwithin sleeve 20. An indicator marker 114 projects outwardly from theouter cylindrical surface of the collar immediately above the center ofstem wall opening 106. An alignment marker 116 is provided on the outersurface of sleeve wall 24 between air outlet openings 76 and 78.

Internal air deflector 98 is movable between an operative position andan inoperative position. In the operative position, and as best seen inFIG. 13, stern wall opening 106 is aligned with air outlet openings 74and 76, and inner openings 71 of air passageways 68 to permitcommunication between these openings and the interior of the sleeve sothat air can enter the interior of the sleeve through inner openings 71and leave through the outlet openings. In the inoperative position, andas best seen in FIG. 14,.stem wall 104 overlies air outlet openings 74and 76 and inner openings 71 of air passageways 68 to block or preventcommunication between these openings and the interior of the sleeve. Inthis position, all of the openings of the device are closed so that thedevice is sealed and any material within the device, such as a liquiddeodorant, cannot escape or leak from the device. Also, in the closedposition air cannot enter the device and cause the deodorant to beevaporated or contaminated, Thus, the closed position enables the deviceto be filled and then shipped without possibility of leakage, loss orcontami nation of the deodorant material within the device. Internal airdeflector 98 is rotatably movable between its operative and inoperativeposition by turning the collar. When internal air deflector 98 is in itsoperative position, indicator marker ll4on collar 102 and alignmentmarker 116 on sleeve will be in alignment.

When using the device of the present invention with its longitudinalaxis aligned in a substantially vertical direction, it is preferred toprovide a wick such as that shown in FIG. 12 within sleeve 20. Also, thewick can be in the form of a "T" having the outer ends of the top of theT in contact with opposed points on inner surface 26 of sleeve wall 24and having its stem positioned within the liquid deodorant materialwithin the housing. Use of a wick achieves additional contact betweenthe odoriferous air entering the device and the deodorant liquid.

In another embodiment of the enclosure for supporting a device of thepresent invention, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, a front wall, generally118, is provided with a bottom screen 120 and a removable top section122 mounted on the screen. Top section 122 is imperforate and is spacedfrom the top wall 124 of the enclosure to provide an opening 126. Inthis embodiment, air to be treated enters through bottom screen 120 andafter treatment leaves the enclosure through opening 126.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specificdetails shown and described and departures may be made from such detailswithout departing from the principles of the invention and withoutsacrificing its chief advantages.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorizing materialcomprising:

a. a substantially hollow housing including a cylindrical sleeve havinga sleeve wall, an internal air deflector at one end of the sleeve in aform of a removable closure which sealingly engages the inner surface ofthe sleeve wall and an external air deflector at the other end of thesleeve;

b. at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, said passagewayextending from said outer end inwardly toward said internal airdeflector in a straight-through path to the hollow interior of thehousing; and

c. an air outlet on the housing.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein each air passageway has an inneropening in the sleeve wall to permit air to enter the interior of thesleeve, and the removable closure has a hollow stem which sealinglyengages the inner surface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the airoutlet and the inner opening of each air passageway; the stem having astem wall with a stem wall opening and being movable between aninoperative position where the stem wall prevents communication between(a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageways and airoutlet, and an operative position where the stem wall opening permitscommunication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the airpassageways and air outlet.

3. The device of claim 1 including a hub on said removable closure, saidhub axially extending into the interior of the sleeve, and having anaxially extending bore, and a wick positioned in and extending from saidhub.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the outer surface of said external airdeflector is in the form of a cone.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said external air deflector has aninternal recess which communicates with the hollow of said sleeve, andsaid air outlet comprises transversely aligned openings on said sleevewall.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said passageway has a cylindricalcross-sectional shape.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said air conduits are transverselyaligned with each other and are equidistantly positioned about the outerperiphery of the housmg.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein two air carrying conduits are spaced atleast from each other about the outer periphery of the housing.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said air carrying conduits have a frontwall whose outer surface lies in a plane substantially perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the housing and said outer end of said airpassageway lies within said plane.

10. The device of claim 1 including wick means positioned in the hollowof the housing.

11. A deodorizing system for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorantcomprising:

a. a substantially hollow enclosure having a perforated front wall;

b. first and second support means both mounted within the hollow of theenclosure;

c. a device mounted on one of said support means comprising:

1. a substantially hollow housing including a cylindrical sleeve havinga sleeve wall, an internal air deflector atone end of the sleeve in aform of a removable closure which sealingly engages the inner surface ofthe sleeve wall and an external air deflector at the other end of thesleeve;

2. at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, said passagewayextending from said outer end inwardly toward said internal airdeflector in a straight-through path to the hollow interior of thehousing; and

3. an air outlet on the housing; and

d. means mounted on the other support means for directing air past theexternal air deflector toward the air conduits.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein said means for directingair past the external air deflector is a fan, and the outer surface ofsaid external air deflector is in the form of a cone.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein each air passageway has aninner opening in the sleeve wall to permit air to enter the interior ofthe sleeve, and the removable closure has a hollow stem which sealinglyengages the inner surface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the airoutlet and the inner opening of each air passageway; the stem having astem wall with a stem wall opening and being movable between aninoperative position where the stem wall prevents communication between(a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageways and airoutlet, and an operative position where the stem wall opening permitscommunication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the airpassageways and air outlet.

14. A device for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorizing materialcomprising:

aha substantially hollow housing comprising a cylindricalsleev'e havinga sleeve wall and an internal air deflector at one end of the sleeve inthe form of a removable closure which sealingly engages the sleeve wall;

b. at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, and each airpassageway extending from said outer end inwardly toward said internalair deflector; and

c. an air outlet on the housing.

15. A device for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorizing materialcomprising:

a. a substantially hollow housing comprising a cylindrical sleeve havinga sleevewall and an internal air deflector at one end in a form of aclosure which sealingly engages the inner surface of the sleeve wall;

b. an air outlet on the housings;

c. at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing; each airpassageway extending from said outer end inwardly toward said internalair deflector, and having an inner opening in the sleeve wall to permitair to enter the interior of the sleeve; and

d. a hollow stem on said closure which sealingly engages the innersurface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the air outlet and theinner opening of each air passageway, the stem having a stem wall with astem wall opening and being movable between an inoperative positionwhere the stem wall prevents communication between (1) the interior ofthe sleeve and (2) the air passageways and air outlet, and an operativeposition where the stem wall opening permits communication between l)the interior of the sleeve and (2) the air passageways and air outlet.

16. A deodorizing system for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorantcomprising:

a. a substantially hollow enclosure having a perforated front wall;

b. support means within the hollow of the enclosure;

c. a device mounted on said support means comprisl. a substantiallyhollow housing comprising a cylindrical sleeve having a sleeve wall andan internal air deflector at one end in a form of a removable closurewhich sealingly engages the inner surface of the sleeve wall,

2. at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, and eachpassageway extending from said outer end inwardly toward said internalair deflector; and

3. an air outlet on the housing; and

d. means mounted on the support means for directing air toward the airconduits.

17. The system according to claim 17 wherein said means for directingair toward the air conduits is a fan.

18. The system according to claim 18 wherein each air passageway has aninner opening in the sleeve wall to permit air to enter the interior ofthe sleeve, and the removable closure has a hollow stem which sealinglyengages the inner surface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the airoutlet and the inner opening of each air passageway; the stem having astem .wall with a stem wall opening and being movable between aninoperative position where the stem wall prevents communication between(a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageways and airoutlet, and an operative position where the stem wall opening permitscommunication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the airpassageways and air outlet.

19. A deodorizing system for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorantcomprising:

a. a substantially hollow enclosure having a perforated front wall;

b. support means within the hollow of the enclosure;

'0. a device mounted on said support means comprisl. a substantiallyhollow housing comprising a cylindrical sleeve having a sleeve wall andan internal air deflector at one end in a form of a closure whichsealingly engages the inner surface of the sleeve wall,

2. at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, each passagewayextending from said outer end inwardly toward said internal airdeflector, and wherein each air passageway has an inner opening in thesleeve wall to permit air to enter the interior of the sleeve;

3. an air outlet on the housing; and

4. a hollow stem on the closure which sealingly engages the innersurface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the air outlet and theinner opening of each air passageway; the stem having a stem wall with astem wall opening and being movable between an inoperative positionwhere the stem wall prevents communication between (a) the interior ofthe sleeve and (b) the air passageways and air outlet, and an operativeposition where the stem wall opening permits communication between (a)the interior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageways and air outlet;and

d. means mounted on the support means for directing air toward the airconduits.

20. A device for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorizing materialcomprising:

a. a substantially hollow housing comprising a cylindrical sleeve havinga sleeve wall and an internal air deflector at one end in a form of aclosure having a longitudinally extending closure wall which sealinglyengages the sleeve wall, one of said walls being an inner wall and theother an outer wall;

b. an air outlet on the housing;

0. at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing; each airpassageway extending from said outer end inwardly toward said internalair deflector, and having an inner opening in said outer wall to permitair to enter the interior of the sleeve; and

(1. said inner wall extending beyond the air outlet and the inneropening of each air passageway, the inner wall having an inner wallopening and being movable between an inoperative position where itprevents communication between (I) the interior of the sleeve and (2)the air passageways and air outlet, and an operative position where theinner wall opening permits communication between (1) the interior of thesleeve and (2) the air passageways and air outlet.

UNITED STATES PATENT oTTTcE Q-RIWQ M QREQTN Patent No. 3,; 747 902 DatedJuly 24, 1973 Inventor(s) JAMES RUSHTON BAILEY I It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Clairh 17, cplumn 10, line 43, change "1'?" to Claim 18, column 10, line45, change "18" to Signed and sealed this 20th day of November 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLEI'CHER-,JR. RENE 13., TEGTMEYER Attesting Officer ActingCommissioner of Patents F ORM PO-1050 10- 69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 u.sGOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1959 o-ses-su

1. A device for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorizing materialcomprising: a. a substantially hollow housing including a cylindricalsleeve having a sleeve wall, an internal air deflector at one end of thesleeve in a form of a removable closure which sealingly engages theinner surface of the sleeve wall and an external air deflector at theother end of the sleeve; b. at least two air carrying conduits extendingoutwardly from the outer surface of the housing, each conduit having anair passageway having an outer end spaced from the outer surface of thehousing, said passageway extending from said outer end inwardly towardsaid internal air deflector in a straightthrough path to the hollowinterior of the housing; and c. an air outlet on the housing.
 2. atleast two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outersurface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having anouter end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, and eachpassageway extending from said outer end inwardly toward said internalair deflector; and
 2. at least two air carrying conduits extendingoutwardly from the outer surface of the housing, each conduit having anair passageway having an outer end spaced from the outer surface of thehousing, said passageway extending from said outer end inwardly towardsaid internal air deflector in a straight-through path to the hollowinterior of the housing; and
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein each airpassageway has an inner opening in the sleeve wall to permit air toenter the interior of the sleeve, and the removable closure has a hollowstem which sealingly engages the inner surface of the sleeve wall andextends beyond the air outlet and the inner opening of each airpassageway; the stem having a stem wall with a stem wall opening andbeing movable between an inoperative position where the stem wallprevents communication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b)the air passageways and air outlet, and an operative position where thestem wall opening permits communication between (a) the interior of thesleeve and (b) the air passageways and air outlet.
 2. at least two aircarrying conduits extending outwardly from the outer surface of thehousing, each conduit having an air passageway having an outer endspaced from the outer surface of the housing, each passageway extendingfrom said outer end inwardly toward said internal air deflector, andwherein each air passageway has an inner opening in the sleeve wall topermit air to enter the interior of the sleeve;
 3. an air outlet on thehousing; and
 3. The device of claim 1 including a hub on said removableclosure, said hub axially extending into the interior of the sleeve, andhaving an axially extending bore, and a wick positioned in and extendingfrom said hub.
 3. an air outlet on the housing; and d. means mounted onthe support means for directing air toward the air conduits.
 3. an airoutlet on the housing; and d. means mounted on the other support meansfor directing air past the external air deflector toward the airconduits.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the outer surface of saidexternal air deflector is in the form of a cone.
 4. a hollow stem on theclosure which sealingly engages the inner surface of the sleeve wall andextends beyond the air outlet and the inner opening of each airpassageway; the stem having a stem wall with a stem wall opening andbeing movable between an inoperative position where the stem wallprevents communication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b)the air passageways and air outlet, and an operative position where thestem wall opening permits communication between (a) the interior of thesleeve and (b) the air passageways and air outlet; and d. means mountedon the support means for directing air toward the air conduits.
 5. Thedevice of claim 4 wherein said external air deflector has an internalrecess which communicates with the hollow of said sleeve, and said airoutlet comprises transversely aligned openings on said sleeve wall. 6.The device of claim 1 wherein said passageway has a cylindricalcross-sectional shape.
 7. The device of claim 1 wherein said airconduits are transversely aligned with each other and are equidistantlypositioned about the outer periphery of the housing.
 8. The device ofclaim 1 wherein two air carrying conduits are spaced at least 90* fromeach other about the outer periphery of the housing.
 9. The device ofclaim 1 wherein said air carrying conduits have a front wall whose outersurface lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of the housing and said outer end of said air passageway lieswithin said plane.
 10. The device of claim 1 including wick meanspositioned in the hollow of the housing.
 11. A deodorizing system forcontacting odoriferous air with a deodorant comprising: a. asubstantially hollow enclosure having a perforated front wall; b. firstand second support means both mounted within the hollow of theenclosure; c. a device mounted on one of said support means comprising:12. The system according to claim 11 wherein said means for directingair past the external air deflector is a fan, and the outer surface ofsaid external air deflector is in the form of a cone.
 13. The systemaccording to claim 12 wherein each air passageway has an inner openingin the sleeve wall to permit air to enter the interior of the sleeve,and the removable closure has a hollow stem which sealingly engages theinner surface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the air outlet andthe inner opening of each air passageway; the stem having a stem wallwith a stem wall opening and being movable between an inoperativeposition where the stem wall prevents communication between (a) theinterior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageways and air outlet, andan operative position where the stem wall opening permits communicationbetween (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageways andair outlet.
 14. A device for contacting odoriferous air with adeodorizing material comprising: a. a substantially hollow housingcomprising a cylindrical sleeve having a sleeve wall and an internal airdeflector at one end of the sleeve in the form of a removable closurewhich sealingly engages the sleeve wall; b. at least two air carryingconduits extending outwardly from the outer surface of the housing, eachconduit having an air passageway having an outer end spaced from theouter surface of the housing, and each air passageway extending fromsaid outer end inwardly toward said internal air deflector; and c. anair outlet on the housing.
 15. A device for contacting odoriferous airwith a deodorizing material comprising: a. a substantially hollowhousing comprising a cylindrical sleeve having a sleeve wall and aninternal air deflector at one end in a form of a closure which sealinglyengages the inner surface of the sleeve wall; b. an air outlet on thehousings; c. at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly fromthe outer surface of the housing, each conduit having an air passagewayhaving an outer end spaced from the outer surface of the housing; eachair passageway extending from said outer end Inwardly toward saidinternal air deflector, and having an inner opening in the sleeve wallto permit air to enter the interior of the sleeve; and d. a hollow stemon said closure which sealingly engages the inner surface of the sleevewall and extends beyond the air outlet and the inner opening of each airpassageway, the stem having a stem wall with a stem wall opening andbeing movable between an inoperative position where the stem wallprevents communication between (1) the interior of the sleeve and (2)the air passageways and air outlet, and an operative position where thestem wall opening permits communication between (1) the interior of thesleeve and (2) the air passageways and air outlet.
 16. A deodorizingsystem for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorant comprising: a. asubstantially hollow enclosure having a perforated front wall; b.support means within the hollow of the enclosure; c. a device mounted onsaid support means comprising:
 17. The system according to claim 17wherein said means for directing air toward the air conduits is a fan.18. The system according to claim 18 wherein each air passageway has aninner opening in the sleeve wall to permit air to enter the interior ofthe sleeve, and the removable closure has a hollow stem which sealinglyengages the inner surface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the airoutlet and the inner opening of each air passageway; the stem having astem wall with a stem wall opening and being movable between aninoperative position where the stem wall prevents communication between(a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageways and airoutlet, and an operative position where the stem wall opening permitscommunication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the airpassageways and air outlet.
 19. A deodorizing system for contactingodoriferous air with a deodorant comprising: a. a substantially hollowenclosure having a perforated front wall; b. support means within thehollow of the enclosure; c. a device mounted on said support meanscomprising:
 20. A device for contacting odoriferous air with adeodorizing material comprising: a. a substantially hollow housingcomprising a cylindrical sleeve having a sleeve wall and an internal airdeflector at one end in a form of a closure having a longitudinallyextending closure wall which sealingly engages the sleeve wall, one ofsaid walls being an inner wall and the other an outer wall; b. an airoutlet on the housing; c. at least two air carrying conduits extendingoutwardly from the outer surface of the housing, each conduit having anair passageway having an outer end spaced from the outer surface of thehousing; each air passageway extending from said outer end inwardlytoward said internal air deflector, and having an inner opening in saidouter wall to permit air to enter the interior of the sleeve; and d.said inner wall extending beyond the air outlet and the inner opening ofeach air passageway, the inner wall having an inner wall opening andbeing movable between an inoperative position where it preventscommunication between (1) the interior of the sleeve and (2) the airpassageways and air outlet, and an operative position where the innerwall opening permits communication between (1) the interior of thesleeve and (2) the air passageways and air outlet.